post-op overeating

[lor 0]

I'm a lttile freaked out. I had my LB surgery April 23rd. Did my week of clear fluids and one week of mushies. However, I am now eating everything and too much of it. I am chewing everything but still... i have NO restriction and feel like I'm back to my pre-op bad eating habits (less volume but still too much). Now I'm petrified i've done something to the band. I feel fine but I'm still worried. I know I will get the usual reprimands but anyone out there who has fallen off the wagon and lived to tell about it? I have my first fill June 4th in TJ. Do they do an xray or something so they can tell me if the band is OK?

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

How, exactly, have you fallen off the wagon? Are you not following your doc's advice?

Remember, the time between surgery and your first fill are not designed for weight loss. It is designed for healing.

[ukangel 0]

I felt exactly the same and only when I saw that there was absolutely no restriction before my first fill did I give myself a break. The band has not been filled as yet so it is just healing and is in place ready for your first fill and your restriction will come. Be patient. The healingis the important part and also the time for your mind to adjust to the change in eating habits.

Good luck, stick with it you are doing fine x

[lor 0]

After the first couple of weeks I started eating anything I wanted. I've had steak, Pasta even (yikes) ice cream. I'm not eating until I'm bursting, and I am chewing until the food is mush, but I'm certainly able to eat more volume than I thought- and I'm definitely not going to be losing weight like this.

[lor 0]

thanks ukangel- made me feel better. so i'm not just "failing" yet another weightloss try? i cannot wait for my fill.

[Syrah 0]

I just had my first fill and I don't feel much different than I did before the fill. Don't expect miracles right away! That's the thing about lap band -- it requires quite a bit of fiddling around until you reach the spot where you are going to steadily lose weight. I have tried hard to stick to three meals and 2 small Snacks in between. I don't overeat or eat bread, steak (too scared), fried food, etc. Frankly I am just afraid to try a lot of different things that I've heard can be difficult to toelrate. However, I definitely eat things I should not eat (such as sneaking half a candy bar, 2-3 potato chips, etc.). So I'm not perfect, but I am trying to use this time to really work on my eating habits. The band won't do it all for you.

Good luck!

[dolphingirl 0]

I'm only 7 days post-op and I want to eat "real" food soooooo bad! The first couple of days I was satisfied with eating soupd, yogart, etc. but now I always feel hungry. I broke down yesterday and ate some popcorn I made for my son. I chewed it really fine and I didn't have any pain after I ate it and that scares me b/c now I'm thinking what else can I eat? I know I'm supposed to do Full liquids for another week and then pureed, , but I don't think I can take it anymore. I'm freaking tired of Soup, I want some food! Help!

[holly123 0]

I was so glad to read this thread! I had my band surgery on 26th April and lost 9lbs the first week. I have lost nothing since and feel really upset about it. I can eat anything and everything now - except white bread. I have no restriction. Glad to hear I'm not the only one! I see my surgeon on 26 May and will hopefully get a fill, although I now realise that I might need more than one fill to start losing again. I didn't realise it would be so slow!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Until you have fills, you are wide open, so you will be able to eat more food. Once you start getting fills, you start noticing a difference.

[mandi78 3]

Does doing the liquid diet for 2 weeks before and 2-4 weeks after not shrink your stomach and make you used to eating less food? Just curious.

[Syrah 0]

Until you have fills, you are wide open, so you will be able to eat more food. Once you start getting fills, you start noticing a difference.

I read this here a lot and I disagree. With the Vanguard band, you have a stoma opening that is somewhere between the size of a quarter and a half dollar. With the other band, someone else here said the opening is the size of a dime. How can there not be restriction? I have the larger (Vanguard) band and I felt restriction even before my first fill.

I also think that after weeks of liquid and mushie foods, most people will see a decrease in appetite because the stomach has shrunk somewhat.

Here's what I think: Some of the battle here (IMO, and not to sound all righteousy) is determing what is true hunger and what is head hunger.

[LovelyLaFleur 0]

I will get mine done soon. But, the menu's that my Dr. sent home with me are really strict for upto 10weeks post op. In fact he said no bread or milk for the rest of my life. and not to drink any fluids 30min before a meal and 60-90 minutes after a meal and then 3lt's of Water the rest of the time. The meals are 1oz of cream of wheat or puree vegi's x3 and x2 protien "mud" shakes. So, I'm not sure if the Dr. didn't give you such a diet or not?

[NoWorry 0]

With the Vanguard band, you have a stoma opening that is somewhere between the size of a quarter and a half dollar. With the other band, someone else here said the opening is the size of a dime. How can there not be restriction?

The VG band is 13 cm (the smaller bands are 9 and 10 cm). Even taking into account the thickness of the stomach, a 13 cm band could not possibly create a stoma the size of a quarter. It could be that you had a very significant amount of fat accumulation within the band that created such a small stoma in your case.

However, in most cases, I would guess that the stoma is significantly larger and will be reduced to the sizes you describe only after a fill. A few days ago, without thinking, I swallowed a very large multi-Vitamin pill that is definitely larger than a dime. I slid right through without any restriction.

I think you may be the exception rather than the rule. According to the book "Lap Band for Life" by Dr. Ortiz, most patients will feel little to no restriction following placement of the band. The real restriction starts only after the first fill.

For the rest of you, though, who are eating whatever you are craving because of the lack of restriction, the book also quotes a study that shows that there is direct correlation between those who overeat after the band is placed and those who have unsatisfactory weight loss after one year. So even though you can eat almost anything, it is really important to resist the temptation as much as possible.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

The reason you are supposed to be on liquids isn't for dieting purposes. It's because your stomach has to digest foods and it isn't supposed to be churning and digesting, it's supposed to be healing. You can't tell what's going on in there even if you are chewing well. The band needs to heal on the stomach and you could do damage way down the road from now by eating too quickly.

[Syrah 0]

NoWorry:

The VG band is 13 cm (the smaller bands are 9 and 10 cm). Even taking into account the thickness of the stomach, a 13 cm band could not possibly create a stoma the size of a quarter. It could be that you had a very significant amount of fat accumulation within the band that created such a small stoma in your case.

VERY interesting that you say this, because my surgeon actually told me that the opening was a bit smaller than the size of a half dollar. Now, several people here disagreed with this discussion about stoma sizes / the size of my opening. They said it had to be smaller. I think my surgeon is right – that it’s about the size of a half-dollar. But because of disagreements here (and not wanting to spread misinformation), I purposely said on this thread that the opening was “somewhere between the size of a quarter and a half dollar.”

Now, my surgeon also told me that most patietns have restriction with the initial banding. I think that’s a topic up for debate as well. You say that Dr. Ortiz indicates “most patients will feel little to no restriction following placement of the band.” Yet just the other day, someone here said that Dr. Ortiz is quoted as having said that 70 percent of newly-banded patients have enough restriction NOT to need a fill for 6 months.

This place can be so confusing sometimes. There seems to be a lot of contradictory info.

It could be that you had a very significant amount of fat accumulation within the band that created such a small stoma in your case.

Question - how do you get fat accumulation within the band? Isn't the band empty, until saline is injected? I'm confused.

I'm not sure if you are talking about surrounding abdominal fat that may be squeezing the band, but I carry most of my excess weight around my hips and lower half (vs. higher up, where the band is placed).